A back and forth night at CHS Field did not go the Buffalo Bisons way, as they lost in a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth inning to the St. Paul Saints 8-7 on Wednesday night.
The Bisons scored first when Will Wagner hit a two-run base hit to left field that scored Michael Stefanic and Joey Loperfido in the top of the third inning, giving the Bisons a 2-0 lead. The two teams would then trade the lead the rest of the night in a see-saw contest.
The Saints were able to get on the scoreboard with a solo run in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to a Will Holland RBI base hit that trimmed the deficit to 2-1. St. Paul would score in three straight innings, including a pair in the bottom of the fifth that allowed them to enjoy their first lead of the night. Ryan Fitzgerald led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run that tied the game 2-2. With two out in the inning, Carson McCusker’s RBI base hit game the Saints a 3-2 advantage.
Loperfido added his second of three hits on the night, driving in a pair of runs and re-establishing Buffalo’s lead. Riley Tirotta and Josh Rivera scored on the base hit to left field that gave the Bisons a 4-3 lead. St. Paul would once again have the answer with two runs of their own and enjoy a 5-4 advantage through six innings.
The Bisons used back-to-back home runs in the top of the eighth inning to pull ahead once again. Loperfido’s fourth home run of the year was a two-run shot that gave the Bisons a 6-5 lead. It was followed by a Davis Schneider solo home run. It was the first back-to-back home runs for Buffalo on the season, and the first time since August 11, 2024 at Rochester. Schneider’s first home run of the year extended Buffalo’s lead to 7-5.
However, Mike Ford hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Saints their first walk-off win of the year, 8-7.
The two teams will meet for game three of the series on Thursday night at CHS Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:37 p.m. EDT with Trenton Wallace starting for Buffalo. You can listen to the play-by-play with the ‘Voice of the Bisons’ Pat Malacaro on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy App, and Bisons.com starting at 7:15 p.m.
